One one hand, NFSP feels a lot like a film from a major movie studio with b-level actors, a bad script and talented cinematographers who were perhaps uninspired. On the other side, there is some fun, but simplistic quality to the gameplay. However, it is predominantly a game that is trying to do too many things at once. Unfortunately, it fails to stand out in any one area. Had it ditched the open-world concept for a more challenge and stage-based experience, the story would have been easier to follow and perhaps more engaging. Also, the game might have been able to focus more on its best attribute, which is pure, dumb racing.

In an effort to adopt the stylings of other popular, open-world racers, Need For Speed: Payback presents some fun ideas with poor execution. It also misses an opportunity to elevate an NFS staple with a tacked-on, linear version of Pursuit that annoys while simultaneously reminding me of the absence of a Burnout game on the market. Payback could have solidified the NFS franchise’s spot in the market with the new heist missions and stood out from open-world racers with cop pursuit but, instead, gave us bright moments set in a bland world with technical shortcomings.

Need for Speed returns with another flawed entry. There's the core of a great racing game here and when you're just driving around the open world, it's wonderful. The progression system encourages grinding and the basic story is delivered with B-movie seriousness, taking away from the racing pleasure. There's a better game inside of Payback, but you have to go through everything else to get to it.

Need for Speed Payback's banal racing is only magnified by this focus on grinding. The simple, almost retro, handling model provides occasional bouts of fun, but it's never enough to escape Payback's flaws, with an unwillingness to let you partake in its most hair-raising moments, and a general drabness that seeps into every layer of the game. Fast and Furious, this is not; and that's a disappointing outcome.

Ghost Games, an EA creation after the leaders of Criterion left the studio (Criterion is now working on Battlefront II), has never made a good Need For Speed game.

Black Box, who had made some good Need For Speed games, and one bad one, was killed by EA. Shocking, I know.

The Run (last Black Box game) was so much fun.... and started with a Ministry song! Those were the days. But Criterion was always THE BEST at all of the racing games including NFS, and now EA took them off making racing games to make shit like Battlefield Hardline. Goddamn CRIMINAL.

Just like the criminal closure of Bizarre by Activision. These dev houses should publish their own damn games, why do we need this huge publishers anymore? If the indies can self publish why not big studios?!?

People need to start being able to see through the cut-scene demonstrations and see what the actual game is underneath right from the beginning. That's the only way these publishers will realize what the problems are while the bun is still in the oven.

What the fuck. I watched a review of this on Youtube and can't believe how stupid it is. No cockpit view, no wheel support, replacing car tuning with cards, and every time the game is about to have you complete a big stunt it switches to a cutscene and plays for you. That's so embarrassing it feels like a massive troll by a jaded developer.

What the fuck. I watched a review of this on Youtube and can't believe how stupid it is. No cockpit view, no wheel support, replacing car tuning with cards, and every time the game is about to have you complete a big stunt it switches to a cutscene and plays for you. That's so embarrassing it feels like a massive troll by a jaded developer.

Game needed more women talking to me in a condescending fashion. Fuck this game. Its a bigot. If the second Crew game has some bitch telling me what to do im not paying more than 5$ for it. Im just done with it.

Men play video games. Not bitches. Bitches that do play games do it for attention..... Bitches should be half nude and submissive im my games, why does the video game industry go against nature?

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Nintendo: A guiding light in a sea of video game degeneracy

Once the servers for this game inevitably go offline, with no way to obtain loot boxes, earn speed cards or trade tokens, I can't help but wonder if the casual consumer would genuinely ever have the patience to fully complete this game. Need for Speed Payback is another result of EA meddling in the concept of “games as a service” and taking an otherwise mediocre entry in the series and completely butchering it in the process to achieve this goal.

Here's hoping this trend of free-to-play business strategies in full priced games comes to an end sooner, rather than later.